Teacher gifts can be thoughtful and unique without breaking the bank. When looking for teacher gift ideas, consider purchasing gift items in bulk, supporting a charitable cause or making the teacher personalized items like a keepsake book.
Buying Gifts for Several Teachers
Large families and those who have busy lifestyles may find they have many teachers – classroom teachers, coaches and Sunday school teachers or religious education teachers – whom they would like to thank with appreciation gifts. The cheapest way to buy gifts for multiple teachers is to buy one item that can be split into separate gifts. Buying items in bulk may sound pricey, but when the cost is divided by the number of gifts the items cost less than $10 each.
For example, the National Geographic Store and catalog sell items like the Kashmiri Floral Bangles that come in a five-bracelet set for $28. These bangles are beautiful gifts in a set, or they can be distributed to five different teachers with a heartfelt thank you letter. The Yangtze River Pearl Stretch Bracelets come in a four-bracelet set for $29.00 and can also be given as a set or separately. Even with standard shipping costs included, the cost per bracelet is between $7 and $9.50.
If some of the teachers are men or fans of literature, consider purchasing book bungees from Levenger. These clever bookmarks hold a page and keep the book closed when traveling. A set of five book bungees often goes on sale for $20; with shipping costs, each book bungee is a $5 gift.
Appreciation Gifts That Support a Cause
One of the benefits of purchasing items from the National Geographic Store is that all purchases help the organization in its mission for research, education, exploration and conservation. Unique and inexpensive teacher gifts can be found at Ten Thousand Villages as well. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit organization that works with artisan groups in Africa, Asia and Latin America and sells fair trade jewelry, home décor, gifts and more.
Another option is to support breast cancer education and research with gift purchases. Avon has breast cancer awareness products that make great gifts for teachers. All the profits from each item support the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. The Avon Crusade tote bag was designed by Marimekko® exclusively for Avon and sells for $10 with $6.24 going to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. The tote is a large flower print that does not shout that its purchase supports research.
For $5 teacher gifts, choose Avon’s Breast Cancer Crusade Pink Water Bottle or the Beyond a Cure necklace from the Army of Women. Instead of a giving a teacher the traditional coffee cup, fill the water bottles with peppermint candies or chocolate for inexpensive but unique teacher gifts.
Give a Teacher Personalized Keepsake Books
Photo albums and keepsake books are a nice teacher thank you gift that is personalized for the teacher and the child. One option is to collect pictures from throughout the school year and create a basic photo album. Another option is to use HotPrints.com to make a keepsake book from class photos posted on Facebook or uploaded to the website. This is great option for parents who don’t attend every single class activity but who have a network of friends with children in the same class. Book prices start at $2.99, and a new feature gives users one free book per month with removable advertisements.
Parents who want to give appreciation gifts to teachers do not have to spend a fortune to give a thoughtful and unique gift. There are tons of teacher gift ideas that cost less than $10. Whether it is Christmas, teacher appreciation week or the end of the school year, buying gifts in bulk, supporting charitable organizations or making photo albums can say thank you to a teacher.
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